Random Thoughts Thread

[Drew Dowdell]

The final styling test model for the newest Chevy Blazer.

[A Horse With No Name]

55 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

The final styling test model for the newest Chevy Blazer.

Da Krome!

[trinacriabob]

On 1/21/2019 at 1:04 PM, A Horse With No Name said:

I learned that I need to value each day uniquely....you only have so many. time flies...I am 53...will turn 54 in September. 

Sounds like you've got a couple of kids you're proud of.  That's quite an accomplishment.

[trinacriabob]

On 1/21/2019 at 9:20 AM, Robert Hall said:

Got to get a snow thrower. Shoveling sucks. 

 

Random association can be a weird thing.  With snow throwers or snow blowers, I reflexively think of one of the best 007 flicks in the series - "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (OHMSS) ... and this scene, courtesy of YouTube.  (rated PG +, yikes)

Possibly the best movie in the James Bond collection.  Might have had the best musical score - the cuts without lyrics, that is.  High school and college friends and I used to recite many of the great one liners.  Their lack of political correctness was pretty damn funny.

MOVING ON, Sunday is National Chocolate Cake Day.  Plan accordingly.

Edited January 25, 2019 by trinacriabob

[daves87rs]

9 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Da Krome!

The latest style!!!!

[David]

5 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Random association can be a weird thing.  With snow throwers or snow blowers, I reflexively think of one of the best 007 flicks in the series - "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (OHMSS) ... and this scene, courtesy of YouTube.  (rated PG +, yikes)

Possibly the best movie in the James Bond collection.  Might have had the best musical score - the cuts without lyrics, that is.  High school and college friends and I used to recite many of the great one liners.  Their lack of political correctness was pretty damn funny.

MOVING ON, Sunday is National Chocolate Cake Day.  Plan accordingly.

Love the 007 Movie, watched it just now.

Yummy Chocolate with wine, but any Chocolate!

http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink2833.html 

 

[ocnblu]

Haha, amazing little Ford Freestyle on a (Ford designed) off-road test course! 

 

[Robert Hall]

Didn't realize they were using the Freestyle name again...(wasn't that the crossover version of the Five Hundred back in the oughts? )

[ocnblu]

Just now, Robert Hall said:

Didn't realize they were using the Freestyle name again...(wasn't that the crossover version of the Five Hundred back in the oughts? )

Yup, goes to show that even a tiny car, if set up right, can be capable. 

[Robert Hall]

Interesting....  speaking of India market vehicles, I was reading about the Mahindra Marazzo..was at the Detroit auto show--a FWD BOF crossover for the Indian market, designed in Detroit.   Very unusual. 

[ocnblu]

3 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Interesting....  speaking of India market vehicles, I was reading about the Mahindra Marazzo..was at the Detroit auto show--a FWD BOF crossover for the Indian market, designed in Detroit.   Very unusual. 

Mahindra is a pretty big company, I believe.

Whoa, crazy and kinda cool! 

 

[ocnblu]

I seem to have warring redneck and nerd automotive tendencies. 

[A Horse With No Name]

11 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

I seem to have warring redneck and nerd automotive tendencies. 

Not a damn thing at all wrong with that.

[daves87rs]

13 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Mahindra is a pretty big company, I believe.

Whoa, crazy and kinda cool! 

 

Like a old, larger Mazda 5.

Simple, but I really like the design.....

[ocnblu]

https://bangshift.com/general-news/drinking-habits-the-four-cylinder-chevrolet-silverado-drinks-more-than-the-v8-in-testing/?fbclid=IwAR3OmZh5Jwg0v39YtfaoKsAwWifrjTMNvt5ERrfoG0oohpI_NsIXewM817c

SOOOOO... the 5.3 betters the 2.7, and the SIX POINT TWO equals it, for fuel mileage?  Just goes to prove that the Chevrolet smallblock is the PERFECT engine to power these trucks.  Nothing comes close!  Yuge waste of engineering dollars, the 2.7, imho.

[balthazar]

First concept car of all (and put into limited production) - '33 Cadillac Aerodynamic Coupe ~

[ocnblu]

[trinacriabob]

I was going to wait until I ordered and consumed some chocolate cake today.  In the midst of Sunday shopping, I made some time to do just that and have a cup of coffee with it.

I'm hoping a slice of chocolate truffle pie counts.  Delicious!

On ‎1‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 9:57 PM, dfelt said:

Love the 007 Movie, watched it just now.

One of the highlights of that movie was the Irma Bunt character.  Not in a good way, but still a highlight of that movie … a most unique villain(ess) within the 007 series of films.  My friends and I had a field day with her.

[oldshurst442]

40 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

I was going to wait until I ordered and consumed some chocolate cake today.  In the midst of Sunday shopping, I made some time to do just that and have a cup of coffee with it.

I'm hoping a slice of chocolate truffle pie counts.  Delicious!

One of the highlights of that movie was the Irma Bunt character.  Not in a good way, but still a highlight of that movie … a most unique villain(ess) within the 007 series of films.  My friends and I had a field day with her.

Homemade apple pie and 2 huge tablespoons full of Nutella (yes, just Nutella on that spoon) for me for dessert just now! 

 

And there are several Bond girls that my friends and I would like to have a field day with.  More like a roll in the hay rather than a field day...

But yeah!  Bond girls...

 

 

[balthazar]

[ocnblu]

A lot of ppl say the CUV is the blandest vehicle genre ever in the history of the world.  What is the blandest CUV on the market right now, in you guys' opinion?  I think it's the Chevy Trax, if measured on style alone.  Mechanically, it seems competitive in the class.

[trinacriabob]

1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

Homemade apple pie and 2 huge tablespoons full of Nutella (yes, just Nutella on that spoon) for me for dessert just now! 

 

And there are several Bond girls that my friends and I would like to have a field day with.  More like a roll in the hay rather than a field day...

But yeah!  Bond girls...

 

Irma Bunt does not really qualify as a Bond girl.  LOL.  She portrayed (Telly Savalas's) Blofeld's henchwoman in this flick.  She was very Germanic and sort of scary .... on various levels.  

We had a field day with her accent and her lines.

Ah, yes.  Nutella.  I was raised on it.  When you're a kid and you can eat just about anything without putting on a pound. Sometimes just slathered onto those round Kaiser type rolls you'd get at an Italian bakery. 

[David]

13 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Irma Bunt does not really qualify as a Bond girl.  LOL.  She portrayed (Telly Savalas's) Blofeld's henchwoman in this flick.  She was very Germanic and sort of scary .... on various levels.  

We had a field day with her accent and her lines.

Ah, yes.  Nutella.  I was raised on it.  When you're a kid and you can eat just about anything without putting on a pound. Sometimes just slathered onto those round Kaiser type rolls you'd get at an Italian bakery. 

Or Nutella on a fresh hot loaf of french bread. Melting OMGoodness!  

14 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

A lot of ppl say the CUV is the blandest vehicle genre ever in the history of the world.  What is the blandest CUV on the market right now, in you guys' opinion?  I think it's the Chevy Trax, if measured on style alone.  Mechanically, it seems competitive in the class.

I see your 2018 trax and raise you a generic ugly 2018 CR-V

Course these all fall into the same category too.

[David]

Unless your talking Trax to HR-V Still Honda Generic ugly.

[balthazar]

[David]

9 hours ago, balthazar said:

Very cool, My dad loves her, I honestly have never seen what people thought was so great about her.

Very Cool Pontiac.

[Drew Dowdell]

14 hours ago, ocnblu said:

A lot of ppl say the CUV is the blandest vehicle genre ever in the history of the world.  What is the blandest CUV on the market right now, in you guys' opinion?  I think it's the Chevy Trax, if measured on style alone.  Mechanically, it seems competitive in the class.

Nissan Rogue, Rogue Sport, and Kicks.

[A Horse With No Name]

 

Anything but Bland...

[David]

 

 

This is for you @A Horse With No Name

1600HP Dual Engine VW Golf!

 

[David]

 

 

[David]

Seems Pictures are finally showing up of what is expected to be the BMW i4 Electric Sedan. Seems it is a normal looking 4 door on size with the Tesla 3.

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/01/25/bmw-i4-prototype-spy-photos/

Should sell well.

On April 2nd 2015 Aston Martin talked about having a Rapid e performance auto. Seems they are getting close to making sure the RAPIDe. Seems it will be an 800v powerhouse that can hold it's own and deliver performance like the Rapid V12.

 the Rapide E uses two electric motors to make 610 horsepower and 700 pound-feet of torque. It has a top speed of 155 mph and can do 0-60 mph in less than four seconds.

[Robert Hall]

Greenhouse looks like the current 4 series Gran Coupe. 

[David]

2 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Greenhouse looks like the current 4 series Gran Coupe. 

I think as an EV it will sell in decent numbers as it blends in with normal cars.

[Robert Hall]

2 minutes ago, dfelt said:

I think as an EV it will sell in decent numbers as it blends in with normal cars.

Yes, I think the market is past the point where EVs have to be weird to be accepted, normalized styling will be an asset going forward.. 

I wonder if GM, Nissan and Toyota will get that, though..the Bolt, Leaf and Prius are all still pretty weird...

Edited January 28, 2019 by Robert Hall

[David]

Just now, Robert Hall said:

Yes, I think the market is past the point where EVs have to be weird to be accepted, normalized styling will be an asset going forward.. 

That is why I am excited about Cadillacs new updated style design for the whole family that will come out on their first EV CUV. Should be a nice refresh to the family as they change over the face. Hopefully in two years when it goes into production, they can also refresh the rest of the ICE products to keep in sync or at least have a like type version.

[A Horse With No Name]

Damn...a German car that it won't break me to own.

[David]

1966 Jag S-Type

[balthazar]

[A Horse With No Name]

 

 

LOTS of good GM content.

[A Horse With No Name]

 

[A Horse With No Name]

 

Love the vintage Mustang fastback in signal flare red in  the video...

[David]

Love that GMC built a new Sierra Track truck. Check out their story at:

https://www.instagram.com/stories/gmc/

[oldshurst442]

Is it me or there is a complete lack of respect towards Earth's creatures today at Cheers and Gears?

I understand that this is an automotive forum meant to celebrate machines and not the National Geographic forum...but still!

 

 

 

[Robert Hall]

4 hours ago, balthazar said:

Carvana has a similar 'vending machine' stack here off the 271.

 

 

Edited January 29, 2019 by Robert Hall

[David]

25 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Is it me or there is a complete lack of respect towards Earth's creatures today at Cheers and Gears?

I understand that this is an automotive forum meant to celebrate machines and not the National Geographic forum...but still!

😕 How is living with nature and having an auto that gets ya through the snow but also does not destroy it a lack of respect for our earth? 🤔

[A Horse With No Name]

26 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Is it me or there is a complete lack of respect towards Earth's creatures today at Cheers and Gears?

I understand that this is an automotive forum meant to celebrate machines and not the National Geographic forum...but still!

 

 

 

There is a complete lack of everything in terms of my nations politics and ethics. Don't really quite frankly think that there has been a day when I have been more disgusted with my government or the state of my country.

[David]

20 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Carvana has a similar 'vending machine' stack here off the 271.

 

 

Cool we have elevator parking garages, I only used to see those in Japan when I went to college.

[A Horse With No Name]

Just now, dfelt said:

😕 How is living with nature and having an auto that gets ya through the snow but also does not destroy it a lack of respect for our earth? 🤔

Just make it an ev...that would make it better...

No, seriously...I think having a 4 wheel drive vehicle can jibe nicely with concern for nature.

[David]

Just now, A Horse With No Name said:

Just make it an ev...that would make it better...

No, seriously...I think having a 4 wheel drive vehicle can jibe nicely with concern for nature.

Still the GMC Track is a very cool truck of off road access with minimal damage unlike a traditional tire 4x4.

Still cool to drive I would think.

Plus I think better for the earth than the monsters Canada drives onto the glaciers and snow packs in Banff National Park.

[oldshurst442]

I was talking about a certain electrical engineer in one thread about human brains and computers and a certain other poster in another thread trying to insult a Lincoln product with one of Earth's most elegant and graceful animals. ..

Im disappoint a tad. 

If we actually view the human being as a machine, we would see that the human being  is quite remarkable.

https://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/human-body-make-electricity.htm

 

How our hands are the perfect tool. How hands and fingers bend and grip to hold and throw and touch. Skin having little grooves in them for friction so we could grip.  Sensors so we could feel.  Sensors so we could know how hard or soft to grab. 

Our eyes. Two high definition cameras that focus instantly. That process information. Speed, angles, distance, depth, colour. And is directly connected to the brain that uses that information to make us act and react to our environment using our own electric superhighway through our very own wiring that is neatly tucked in our spinal cord and extends to our limbs...

When something happens soooo fast that our eyes and brain do not catch, through our 20 000 years of evolution, through our learning experiences, our brain automatically fills in the mis-information, the voids, with past images and memories and compensates and reacts quickly to feed us that information so we dont get this

 

When humans have neurological disorders, this is what happens, though, but on the most part, we good!!!

Computers...all they do is just calculate formulas. Formulas that WE program into them. Formulas that WE have deciphered. 

We let the computers do the math as computers process that math faster than we do. 

But...all a computer does when it gathers input, it just converts that input into mathematical equations that WE have programmed it for and it does the calculations.

Our brains do much much more than that. 

1. Our brains do NOT convert the input into mathematical equations  of ones and zeros

11010001000011110010010

Our brains just uses the info it gathers and makes decisions on the fly...it makes us act and react. 

The brain, through instinct, experience, evolution calculates our very own PERSONAL weight, speed athletic ability and makes us perform those athletic abilities.  Like a computer does. But the computer just uses the codes WE programmed for it to do.

WE, our brains, do that NATURALLY. And our brains calculate for errors on that that very moment.

If the computer is NOT programmed to anticipate errors...it crashes...

Our brain, our experiences, our instinct, our reflexes, our INTELLIGENCE compensates and self corrects...

Computers, if not programmed to do so, will NOT do so...

We do not need to be programmed, We do this AUTOMATICALLY and NATURALLY. 

This may happen...and we crash.

Too much info overload

But we can self correct quickly... most of the time

He stumbled, hit his head in the dirt but was graceful enough to let the slide continue, pulled his hands in a defensive position to an offensive one to be safe at 3rd...and gets up like nothing happened...all in a blink of an eye...

 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2019 by oldshurst442